urgent hedgehog advice!

[mrsp]

This is the situation,
I live on the south coast and we have never seen a hedgehog in the 10years we've lived here. The garage(or dumping ground) is used to store everything and anything,including my OH's big circular saw(used most days),garden stuff and even the dog if she pops in for a snooze(elderly labs.snooze a lot) Yesterday we decided to start a bit of a tidy up and found a part bag of potting compost which we put outside to investigate later...when OH noticed it was moving..agghhhh!! VERY bravely he peeped inside(I was fearing a family of rats - my worst nightmare) but what we saw was a slumbering hedgehog! He had stirred slightly,well he had been plonked,bed and all outside,so we carefully put the bag and contents back into the garage as it was and Tigglewinkle continued sleeeping soundly.
We shut the side garage door at night partly for security but also we get a howling coastal wind whistling through everything,which could chill the hedgehog if we left the door open
What should I do about hedgehog,we can happily wait until he wakes up (when will that be?) but he may find himself locked in for a few hours - should I leave some water available or food,if so what??
Once he's out and about we have a safe garden though we do now have a pond so I'll make sure there is a hedgehog step,just incase he goes for a swim.All advice gratefully received as we want to give him/her the best chance.

[Hedgehoggy]

Hi mrsp, and welcome to WAB

Just to reassure you that it's not unusual for some hedgehogs to still be hibernating. I have just two remaining in my care who are still sleeping soundly (the others woke up and were released during the last two weeks). The latest I've experienced them hibernating is the end of April.

Given that temps are warmer down south, I imagine the majority of hogs there are already up and about, but the fact that your hoggy is in a cold garage (where the ambient temp is probably colder than outside) is likely the factor as to why your hog is still hibernating. It would help hog to be on his way if you could possibly keep your garage door open 24/7 to allow free flowing warmer air to slowly wake him up. In the meantime, leave food and water near to where he's sleeping (e.g. dried cat bics) as he'll be quite weak, hungry and very thirsty when he does wake and your handouts will be very much appreciated .

If it's not possible to leave your garage door open 24/7, or you find he still hasn't roused after, say, 5 days of leaving the door open, message back and I'll suggest an alternative intervention method - but it would be far better for hoggy to wake naturally in the environment he's obviously very familiar with, even if it is the compost bag in your garage!

Well done for caring about hoggy and good luck Any probs/concerns, just shout, there's always somebody here on WAB able to help.



[Message to Posie: Thanks for the message alert ]

[valleyforge]

Hi mrsp and welcome.

I can't add to hedgehoggy's advice, but I just wanted to understand the situation a bit better.

Is there some access for a hedgehog to come and go from your garage when the doors are shut, or are you assuming that the hedgehog has been shut in and hibernating in the compost bag all over winter?

If there is a hoggie sized gap for access, or if the garage doors are sometimes left ajar during the evenings, then perhaps he/she hasn't hibernated there but had just overnighted, instead of overwintered.

In either case, it would be best if the hedgehog can be somewhere, where it is free to exit when it wants to.

[thanks also to Posie for the PM alert - I was a bit late finishing my chores this morning].

[dampflippers]

The weather is due to get very cold again at the weekend, and snow is threatened!

[Marcia]

Hi MRSP and welcome to WaB

You (and the hedgehog) couldn't be in better hands than having great carers like Hedgehoggy and ValleyForge giving you advices. They are very knowledgeable people, listen to their advices as if you have just struck gold. Really.

The only thing I'll add is that you are at great risk to get completely smitten by those lovely creatures. Yes they bite, yes their spines are prickly but they are also funny and beautiful little animals who need our help to save them from extinction. If you need, there are a some threads in this forum where people share their experiences looking after hedgehogs, that you may find useful (or amusing ) :

The Hedgehogs and Hoglets Thread
Spinning Hedgehogs Thread
Baby Hedgehog Thread
Found wobbling hedgehog thread
Hedgehog size for hibernation

In this link below you can find some suggestions to make a feeding station for hogs in your garden (if there's one, there must be more around your area):

Hedgehog Feeding Stations

Cat food (dry or wet), peanuts, mealworms, raisins are all good for them (no bread and milk, no slugs and snails, though). Please keep us posted about your hedgehog in the compost bag. Have you named him/her yet?

Marcia.

[mrsp]

I think hoggie must have wandered in when the door was open as I cannot find any other access - extraordinary as he must have come right up to the house! I guess he's been there all winter! My concern was that as the enviroment does not change in the garage,little hoggie won't know it's spring so I shall try to keep the door slight ajar but keep him out of any drafts,shame he didn't pick the greenhouse as that's lovely at this time of the year!!
I am amazed that the light going on and off and the big saw chomping away - not to mention the dog didn't put hoggie off...

Thanks so much for all you help,fingers crossed Hoggie will be off and across the farmland looking for a mate soon - I just hope I don't get a garage full of visitors next winter.....after all,much as I like them,I'm not planning on hedgehog B&B!!

[posie]

I was wondering if perhaps he has previously woken from hibernation in another place, then ventured into your garage and unfortunately got shut in, and being hungry, thirsty and cold, he found the best place he could to curl up and hopefully keep warm. I wonder if the advice would be different from the Hoggy people if these were the circumstances...?...Posie..

[posie]

Originally Posted by dampflippers

The weather is due to get very cold again at the weekend, and snow is threatened!

WHAT ? ? ! ! On the South Coast, I hope not.......Posie..

[Malx]

HI MRSP!
Certainly there's not a shadow of doubt you've joined a fantastic community of people for resources and information on your new friend - 2 of the guys above are professionals, for starters! - and all the rest of us have differing levels of experience about this, "the best animal in Britain".

The only thing I question in your story is the notion that your hedgie has been hibernating in a 'saw mill' in a sunny Southern England and only woken up right now. That's surely incorrect.
In the fab few sunny weeks we've had recently, my garage has had temperatures up to 22 degrees inside, and I have no doubt that if your OH has been operating the noisiest bit of machinery imaginable near to a hog, then the little blighter (with his superb sense of hearing) would have taken any opportunity to get out before now.

My theory is that s/he's nipped in there some evening when the door was ajar and all was quiet. It's a scenario that petrifies me with my garage, as I have loads of piles of wood and junk which could conceal a cat, hedgie, elephant... practically anything in fact.

In other threads on here, you'll even find tales of hedgies sneaking in to peoples' houses, so don't be surprised how bold/daft a hedgehog can be!

As well as Marcia's links above, for further info do look at this great hedgehog resource online: Wildlifeonline - European Hedgehogs. I cannot imagine who might have been involved in creating it, but it's a fab bit of work! [P.S. to all. Yes, the penny's finally dropped about 'Natasha', by the way... ]


Good luck, MRSP, and enjoy every joyful second you have the pleasure of a hedgehog's company!!

Think I may have posted the other hedgie link, rather than this: http://www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/hedgehog_care.html which is the one I thought would serve you best.

[Malx]

By the way, in case you're not aware, hedgehogs almost never willingly venture out when it's light, so it could be that yours will just be getting up about now. So make sure the door's open!